A 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) mobile network, such as a long term evolution (LTE) network, typically includes a core network, a transport network, and one or more radio access networks. The core network for the mobile network establishes bearers (logical connections) among service nodes on a path between a wireless device, attached to one of the radio access networks, and a packet network, e.g., the Internet. The service nodes then use the bearers to transport subscriber traffic between the wireless device and the packet network.
The core network can include a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) that sends charging rules with packet filters, e.g., service data flows (SDFs) or traffic flow templates (TFTs), to a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF). Charging rules can include rule precedence values. The PCEF can apply the charging rules based on the rule precedence values and can allocate priority values (e.g., filter identifiers) to the filters corresponding to the precedence values. For example, priority values (e.g., 50, 51, 52) of filters associated with a first precedence value (e.g., 300) will have lower priority values than priority values (e.g., 80, 81, 82) of filters associated with a second precedence value (e.g., 400), when the second precedence value is higher than the first precedence value. The PCEF can send these packet filters to user equipment (UE) for installation, e.g., in a create bearer request or an update bearer request. The UE can store these filters based on the allocated priority values from the PCEF.
Issues and inefficiencies can arise when the PCRF allocates rule precedence values that are unsigned 32 bit (e.g., values between 0 and 4,294,967,295) and the PCEF allocates filter priority values that are 8 bit (e.g., values between 0 and 255). For example, as new packet filters and/or rules with new rule precedence values are added during a session, significant messaging between the PCRF and the PCEF may be used to shift or modify filter priority values such that all packet filters are allocated appropriate filter priority values based on their corresponding rule precedence values.
Accordingly, in light of these difficulties, there exists a need for methods, systems, and computer readable media for efficient mapping of rule precedence values and filter priority values.